Starting a Business in Akron, New York

Thinking about starting a business in Akron, New York? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Akron.

Are You Ready for Life as an Owner?

Before you get too far along in the process, consider your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

Talk to other entrepreneurs in Akron. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.

Akron, New York Demographic Information

Akron has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.

To give you a better feel for Akron demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Akron.

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	2688
5-9 Employees	696
10-19 Employees	360
20-49 Employees	336
50-99 Employees	144
100-249 Employees	48
250-499 Employees	48
500-999 Employees	24
1000+ Employees	0
All Akron Businesses	4344

As a new Akron entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Akron for each business category. By looking at this chart, you can get a general sense for how much competition there is in the business niche that you are pursuing.

Business Type	# of Businesses
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	3
Beauty Salons	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	1
Business Associations	1
Car Washes	2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Caterers	1
Cemeteries and Crematories	1
Child Day Care Services	2
Commercial Flexographic Printing	1
Computer Systems Design Services	1
Convenience Stores	2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	4
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	1
Educational Support Services	1
Electrical Contractors	2
Elementary and Secondary Schools	1
Engineering Services	1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	2
Floor Covering Stores	1
Flooring Contractors	2
Florists	1
Framing Contractors	1
Freight Transportation Arrangement	1
Full-Service Restaurants	7
Furniture Stores	1
General Automotive Repair	2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	5
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	3
Investigation Services	1
Iron and Steel Mills	1
Janitorial Services	1
Land Subdivision	1
Landscaping Services	1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	3
Limited-Service Restaurants	3
Machine Shops	3
Masonry Contractors	1
New Car Dealers	1
Offices of Dentists	2
Offices of Lawyers	4
Offices of Podiatrists	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
Optical Goods Stores	1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	1
Periodical Publishers	1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	1
Residential Property Managers	1
Residential Remodelers	6
Roofing Contractors	1
Sales Financing	1
Siding Contractors	2
Sign Manufacturing	1
Site Preparation Contractors	3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	1
Solid Waste Collection	1
Testing Laboratories	1
Used Car Dealers	1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	1
Veterinary Services	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	2

Is Franchising a Better Option?

As you drive around Akron, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our advice is to consider franchising as an option. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Benefits of Owning A Franchise. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include The Blind Guy, Inc. and Volvo Construction Equipment Rents, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Construction Franchises and Handyman Services Franchises.

Note on Akron Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Akron, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Selecting a Name For Your Venture

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Akron, it's very important that you make sure no other New York company is using the business name you want to use.

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is critical to the health of your new business. In effect, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You can also get free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in New York.

Startup Financing Basics

Getting your Akron business the capital it needs to succeed will be harder than you might expect. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as 504 Loans.

For Akron entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of New York Angel Investors and our List of New York Venture Capital Firms.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

Good entrepreneurs know that they need to continually improve.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Akron, New York, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby New York universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any Akron networking organizations.

Never Give Up

You have a dream -- starting a business in Akron. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Akron businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Akron, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Akron, New York

Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Akron.

Resources for Akron, New York Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Akron entrepreneurs.
New York Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in New York.
New York Small Business Development Center - The New York State Small Business Development Center delivers high quality business counseling and training to New Yorkers who want to start a business or improve the performance of an existing business.
Akron, New York Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Akron, New York newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Akron area.

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